Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity?
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people lookin' half dead
Walkin' on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night, it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it'll be alright
And babe, don't you know it's a pity
The days can't be like the nights
In the summer in the city
In the summer in the city

Cool town, evening in the city
Dressed so fine and lookin' so pretty
Cool cat lookin' for a kitty
Gonna look in every corner of the city
'Til I'm wheezing like a bus stop
Runnin' upstairs, gonna meet you on the rooftop

But at night, it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it'll be alright
And babe, don't you know it's a pity
The days can't be like the nights
In the summer in the city
In the summer in the city

Hot town, summer in the city
Back of my neck gettin' dirty and gritty
Been down, isn't it a pity?
Doesn't seem to be a shadow in the city
All around, people lookin' half dead
Walkin' on the sidewalk, hotter than a match head

But at night, it's a different world
Go out and find a girl
Come on, come on, and dance all night
Despite the heat, it'll be alright
And babe, don't you know it's a pity
The days can't be like the nights
In the summer in the city
In the summer in the city


Lyrics submitted by kevin

Summer in the City Lyrics as written by John Benson Sebastian Steve Boone

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Songtrust Ave

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Summer in the City song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

11 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    This song is very Hot

    magicon April 25, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    One of my favorite old songs.

    Jarcandaon August 07, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    awesome song!

    Sandman3987on January 08, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    What city are they talking about? NYC???

    craigbenjion March 18, 2006   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Probably Houston, the summers are pretty intense.

    Allison~!@on August 13, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    the song is about NYC written by john sebastian's younger brother mark and his first full summer there.

    coonwahon October 02, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I find it amazing how much this song sounds like modern indie and some pop rock.

    rmiller415on May 01, 2008   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Pretty clear to me what this song's about. I love it, it's incredibly catchy and always gets stuck in my head.

    BB10DANisthebesthgon April 02, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation

    I think this song is about the city being really hot and everyone being too hot to do anything, but when night comes the city is cooler and everyone is partying and having a good time because it's summer.

    MsListeneron April 21, 2013   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    The last commenter is probably right.

    But the funny thing about it is the especially with The Spoonful being from NYC and the fact it gets cold and snowy there in the winter, I'd be outside taking in the heat instead of the cold.

    MIKEBENNIDICTon September 05, 2015   Link

Add your thoughts

Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.

Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!

More Featured Meanings

Album art
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines: "Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet" So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other: "I had all and then most of you" Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart "Some and now none of you" Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship. This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Album art
Cajun Girl
Little Feat
Overall about difficult moments of disappointment and vulnerability. Having hope and longing, while remaining optimistic for the future. Encourages the belief that with each new morning there is a chance for things to improve. The chorus offers a glimmer of optimism and a chance at a resolution and redemption in the future. Captures the rollercoaster of emotions of feeling lost while loving someone who is not there for you, feeling let down and abandoned while waiting for a lover. Lost with no direction, "Now I'm up in the air with the rain in my hair, Nowhere to go, I can go anywhere" The bridge shows signs of longing and a plea for companionship. The Lyrics express a desire for authentic connection and the importance of Loving someone just as they are. "Just in passing, I'm not asking. That you be anyone but you”
Album art
Dreamwalker
Silent Planet
I think much like another song “Anti-Matter” (that's also on the same album as this song), this one is also is inspired by a horrifying van crash the band experienced on Nov 3, 2022. This, much like the other track, sounds like it's an extension what they shared while huddled in the wreckage, as they helped frontman Garrett Russell stem the bleeding from his head wound while he was under the temporary effects of a concussion. The track speaks of where the mind goes at the most desperate & desolate of times, when it just about slips away to all but disconnect itself, and the aftermath.
Album art
Magical
Ed Sheeran
How would you describe the feeling of being in love? For Ed Sheeran, the word is “Magical.” in HIS three-minute album opener, he makes an attempt to capture the beauty and delicacy of true love with words. He describes the magic of it all over a bright Pop song produced by Aaron Dessner.
Album art
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.